I found this at Renew America. It is the text of the homily for Father Chester Poppa, OFM Cap.
In reading this, one thing jumped out at me. This man’s complete dedication to his priesthood and the sacraments. Father Corapi has now infamously said that giving up the priesthood is really no biggie since the sacraments were only 10% of what he did. So when Corapi hit some speed bumps in his life, the priesthood and the sacraments got thrown from the car.
Not so Father Poppa. Read this.
Homily for the Funeral of Chester Poppa, OFM Cap.
June 20, 2011
St. David Parish, Broadus, Montana
Wisdom 3: 1-6, 9; Psalm 23; Romans 6:3-9; John 12:23-26When a person is in end-stage renal failure and has lost 85 to 90 percent of his kidney function, he has three choices: get a kidney transplant, undergo kidney dialysis for the rest of his life, or die. Several years ago our brother Chester faced those choices. As we all know, he chose dialysis — three days a week.
Undergoing dialysis can be a strain under any circumstances, but doing so in your late 70s and early 80s and three times a week … that’s a lot to deal with. When Randolph Graczyk and I visited Chet at his apartment in Billings last month, he admitted that the process was taking its toll on him. It often left him without much energy to do much else.
Yet for several years, Chester was not only faithful to his course of treatment, he was equally faithful to his ministry here at St. David’s. Each week, after undergoing dialysis on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he would make the three-hour drive from Billings to Broadus for the weekend Masses. It was his way of remaining faithful to a community he would serve as pastor for 35 years. It’s amazing and humbling for me to consider that he began his ministry in Broadus when I was only an eighth grader at Ss. Peter & Paul School in Milwaukee and just beginning to learn about this order of priests and brothers called the Capuchins.
Six hours of driving each week while receiving dialysis three times a week to bring the sacraments to the people of Broadus. That is a man who understood the value of his priesthood and the sacraments.
May Father Poppa rest in eternal peace.
Leave a Reply